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2 Summary The enacted 2014 farm bill (the Agricultural Act of 2014; P.L ) enhances the federal crop insurance program by expanding its scope, covering a greater share of farm losses, and making other modifications that broaden policy coverage. The changes stem from the desire of many in Congress, particularly members of the agriculture committees, to bolster what they consider to be the most significant aspect of the farm safety net. Under the federal crop insurance program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture s Risk Management Agency (RMA), producers purchase subsidized policies to help manage financial risks associated with crop yield or revenue losses, primarily from natural disasters. In contrast, farm commodity programs apply to a narrower set of program crops, require no participation fees, and make payments when prices fall below statutory minimums or when crop revenue is low relative to historical levels. A prominent crop insurance feature of the 2014 farm bill is the authorization of policies designed to reimburse shallow losses an insured producer s out-of-pocket loss associated with the policy deductible. A new crop insurance policy called Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) is made available for upland cotton producers, while the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) is made available for other crops. The STAX policy indemnifies losses in county revenue of greater than 10% of expected revenue but not more than the deductible level (e.g., 25%) selected by the producer for the underlying individual policy. (It can also be purchased as a stand-alone policy.) Similarly, SCO is based on expected county revenue (or yields) and covers part of the deductible under the producer s underlying policy. The government subsidy as a share of the policy premium is set at 80% for STAX and 65% for SCO. A variety of additional provisions are expected to expand existing crop insurance products or require examination of the potential for new products, including those that would benefit specialty crops and animal agriculture. Provisions revise the value of crop insurance for organic crops to reflect generally higher prices of organic (not conventional) crops. USDA is also required to conduct more research on whole farm revenue insurance with higher coverage levels than currently available. Studies or policies are also required for insuring (1) specialty crop producers for food safety and contamination-related losses, (2) swine producers for a catastrophic disease event, (3) producers of catfish against reduction in the margin between the market prices and production costs, (4) commercial poultry production against business disruptions caused by integrator bankruptcy, (5) poultry producers for a catastrophic event, (6) producers of biomass sorghum or sweet sorghum grown as feedstock for renewable energy, and (7) alfalfa producers. A peanut revenue insurance product and rice margin insurance also are mandated. Another provision provides funding for index weather insurance for protecting against weather. To address conservation concerns, the 2014 farm bill links eligibility for crop insurance premium subsidies to compliance with wetland and conservation requirements for highly erodible land. Also, crop insurance subsidies are reduced for plantings on native sod acreage in certain states. In total, the crop insurance title increases funding for crop insurance by an additional $5.7 billion over 10 years relative to projected levels that assumed no change in policy. The largest cost items are for STAX ($3.3 billion) and SCO ($1.7 billion), according to the Congressional Budget Office. A controversial item not included in P.L was the reduction of premium subsidies for high-income farmers, which had been included in the Senate farm bill but not the House bill. Congressional Research Service

5 Introduction The federal crop insurance program is considered by many farmers and policy makers as the centerpiece of the farm safety net. The program makes available subsidized insurance policies for about 130 commodities ranging from apples to wheat. These multiple peril policies help producers manage financial risks associated with crop yield or revenue losses. Insurable causes of losses include adverse weather (e.g., drought and flood), insects or disease outbreaks, and failure of irrigation water supply. The enacted 2014 farm bill (the Agricultural Act of 2014; P.L ) enhances the federal crop insurance program by expanding its scope, covering a greater share of farm losses, and making a variety of other modifications that broaden policy coverage. This report describes in detail changes made to the program as part of the 2014 farm bill. A table at the end of this report (Table A-1) provides a side-by-side comparison of the crop insurance provisions in Title XI of the 2014 farm bill and the permanent authorizing statute for federal crop insurance (Federal Crop Insurance Act, 7 U.S.C et seq.), prior to enactment of the 2014 farm bill. Two other key elements of the farm safety net are (1) the farm commodity programs, which provide price and income support for a much narrower list of covered and loan commodities such as corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and peanuts; and (2) agricultural disaster programs, which primarily assist producers owning livestock or fruit trees. For information on these programs as modified by the 2014 farm bill, see CRS Report R43448, Farm Commodity Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L ), and CRS Report RS21212, Agricultural Disaster Assistance. Crop Insurance Background 1 Policy Rationale for Federal Crop Insurance In 1938, Congress established the federal crop insurance program following several unsuccessful attempts by the private sector to sell multiple-peril policies, beginning in the late 1800s. 2 These ventures lost money and were discontinued because areas they covered were too small to adequately distribute risks when crops failed. Since then, private crop insurance has focused on single peril insurance for causes of loss not correlated across wide areas, such as hail or fire. 3 Agricultural weather risks typically affect a large area rather than individual farms, resulting in potential losses that historically have been considered too large for private insurers. Others, though, contend that international financial markets have expanded dramatically in recent decades 1 Additional background on the federal crop insurance program is available in CRS Report R40532, Federal Crop Insurance: Background. 2 Randall A. Kramer, Federal Crop Insurance , Agricultural History, vol. 57, no. 2 (April 1983), pp An example of hail or fire insurance is https://www.rainhail.com/pdf_files/mktg/mktg_4000.pdf. Examples of other single peril coverage include (1) insurance for specific weather variables such as low temperature offered by Total Weather Insurance, and (2) riders on federal policies to increase crop price protection contained in the Hudson Insurance Price Flex contract, index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&itemid=70. Congressional Research Service 1

6 and now have significant capacity to provide coverage of risks that are much greater than those associated with potential crop losses. 4 Separately, the crop insurance program must address problems associated with moral hazard, such as farmers intentionally under-applying crop inputs to collect indemnities. Another issue is adverse selection, whereby high-risk farmers tend to participate more than low-risk farmers, thus increasing program costs. Some argue that the government is in a better position than the private sector to address these issues and monitor farm behavior and losses given better access to data and linkages with farm program benefits. From a demand standpoint, federal subsidies for purchasing crop insurance have been increased over the years to improve affordability and boost farmer participation. 5 In general, the premium required to cover the cost of crop insurance is more than producers are willing to pay. As a result, in the absence of federal subsidies, U.S. agricultural acreage covered by crop insurance and coverage levels selected by farmers would likely be lower, potentially increasing the odds of a costly federal bailout in the event of a catastrophic weather event. Proponents of federal crop insurance argue that the program is essential because it provides specific risk management solutions that benefit farmers, input suppliers, the entire agricultural sector, and ultimately all food consumers. They also say widespread participation reduces the potential for ad-hoc disaster spending, a longstanding policy goal. In contrast, critics argue that the program covers an excessive amount of producer risk, inappropriately subsidizes large farms, wastes taxpayer dollars, and encourages crop production on environmentally fragile lands. Authorizing Legislation The federal crop insurance program is permanently authorized by the Federal Crop Insurance Act, as amended (7 U.S.C et seq.). The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) was created as a wholly-owned government corporation in 1938 to carry out the program. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Insurable Commodities and Types of Policies Policies are available for approximately 130 crops and cover more than 250 million acres nationwide. Insurable commodities include major field crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, and rice, as well as many specialty crops (including fruit, tree nut, vegetable, and nursery crops), pasture, rangeland, and forage crops. 6 For major crops, three-fourths or more of U.S. planted acreage is insured under the federal crop insurance program. 4 Vincent H. Smith and Barry K. Goodwin, Private and Public Roles in Providing Agricultural Insurance in the United States, in Public Insurance and Private Markets, ed. Jeffrey R. Brown (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 2010), p Joseph W. Glauber, Crop Insurance Reconsidered, Amer. J. Agr. Econ., vol. 86, no. 5 (2004), pp Producers who grow a crop not covered by crop insurance can purchase coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). For more information, see CRS Report RS21212, Agricultural Disaster Assistance. Congressional Research Service 2

7 Farmers annually purchase about 1.2 million policies, with many producers purchasing multiple policies depending on farm size and number of crops grown. The policies protect against individual farm losses in yield, crop revenue, or whole farm revenue. Area-wide policies are available for some crops, whereby an indemnity is paid when there is an overall loss over a broad area level. In general, yield-based policies offer a guarantee at the individual farm level or areawide (e.g., county) level. For revenue policies, the insurance guarantee also incorporates the expected market price prior to planting (i.e., no statutory minimum prices as provided in some farm programs). For some policies, the guarantee can increase if the harvest price is higher than the expected price, thereby increasing the point at which indemnities are triggered. The producer selects a coverage level and absorbs the initial loss through the deductible. For example, a coverage level of 70% has a 30% deductible (for a total equal to 100% of the expected value prior to planting the crop). The producer pays a portion of the premium which increases as the level of coverage rises. The federal government pays the rest of the premium 62%, on average, in 2013 plus the cost of selling and servicing the policies. This differs from farm commodity programs, which require no participation fees. Also unlike farm commodity programs, crop insurance has no subsidy limits, and participants can be eligible regardless of income levels. Program Structure and Federal Costs The federal crop insurance program is a partnership between RMA (through the FCIC) and private industry. RMA approves and supports products, develops and approves the premium rates, administers premium subsidies, reimburses private companies for their administrative and operating costs (i.e., delivery costs for selling and servicing the policies), and reinsures company losses. RMA also sponsors educational and outreach programs and seminars on the general topic of risk management. Approximately 19 private insurance companies provide the boots on the ground for selling and servicing the insurance policies through a network of agents. They also share risk (profit/loss potential) with the government. The Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) defines the risksharing arrangement, whereby insurance companies may transfer some liability associated with riskier policies to the federal government and retain profits/losses from less risky policies. 7 During FY2009-FY2013, federal costs averaged $8.4 billion per year, varying between $3.7 billion in FY2010 and $14.1 billion in FY2012, depending on crop losses and commodity prices, which affect premium subsidy amounts and program liability (e.g., high market price result in high premiums and liability). Crop Insurance Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill The general enhancement of the federal crop insurance program in the 2014 farm bill stems from the desire of many in Congress, particularly members of the agriculture committees, to bolster 7 This transfer of risk is accomplished through a set of reinsurance funds maintained by FCIC. The assigned risk fund, for example, is used by companies for policies believed to be high-risk because it provides the most loss protection to insurance companies through stop-loss coverage that reinsures against state-level disasters. Congressional Research Service 3

8 what they consider to be the most significant aspect of the farm safety net. Unlike farm commodity programs, federal crop insurance is applicable to a wide variety of crops and requires producers to pay for at least part of the program. Producers are indemnified only after an insurable crop loss. During the farm bill debate, some in Congress voiced concerns that the program is too generous. Congress considered but did not pass premium caps and/or income limits on crop insurance similar to ones governing farm commodity program payments. For crop insurance in the 2014 farm bill, a prominent feature is the authorization of policies designed to reimburse shallow losses an insured producer s out-of-pocket loss associated with the policy deductible. These include a new crop insurance policy called Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) for upland cotton and the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) for other crops. A variety of additional provisions are expected to expand existing crop insurance products or require FCIC to examine the potential for new products, including those benefiting specialty crops and animal agriculture. Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) for Upland Cotton Beginning with the 2014 farm bill, upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity, making upland cotton producers ineligible for either Price Loss Coverage (PLC) or Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) under the farm commodity support programs. Instead, upland cotton is eligible for Stacked Income Protection (STAX), which is a revenue-based, area-wide crop insurance policy that may be purchased as a stand-alone policy for primary coverage or purchased in tandem with an individual farm loss policy or area policy. This major policy revision was sought by U.S. cotton producers in an attempt to resolve a long-running trade dispute with Brazil that requires changing the U.S. cotton support program so it does not distort international markets. 8 Critical to participation, and as part of the agreement to make upland cotton ineligible for the PLC/ARC programs, is the government s share of the premium cost. The federal subsidy is 80% for STAX and the government pays for delivery costs. Policies are to be offered in all producing counties at the county level, or on the basis of a larger geographic area if necessary. A payment rate multiplier of 120% is available if producers want to increase the amount of protection per acre. The indemnity from STAX is triggered by a revenue loss at the county level. When purchased as a stacked policy, the indemnity is designed to cover part of the deductible of the underlying policy. Specifically, STAX would indemnify losses in county revenue of greater than 10% of expected revenue but not more than 30%. 9 For producers purchasing STAX in conjunction with 8 As part of the transition, farm payments are made for upland cotton for the 2014 crop year, and for 2015 if STAX is not available. Payment acres in 2014 equal 60% of 2013 cotton base acres and 36.5% of 2013 cotton base acres in For more information on PLC and ARC, see CRS Report R43448, Farm Commodity Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L ). For information on the cotton trade case, see CRS Report R43336, Status of the WTO Brazil- U.S. Cotton Case. 9 The revenue guarantee is the producer s selected coverage level times the expected per-acre revenue prior to planting (expected yield times expected price). The expected county yield is the higher of either the historical yield used for existing area-wide policies or the five-year county area average yield, excluding the high and low years, using data from USDA s Risk Management Agency and/or National Agricultural Statistics Service. As with many crop insurance policies for major crops, the expected price component of the guarantee for STAX is based on the average futures market price for cotton prior to planting time. In a previous farm bill proposal in 2012, specifically the 2012 House Agriculture Committee bill (H.R. 6083), a minimum price of $ per pound would have been used in the (continued...) Congressional Research Service 4

9 an individual policy, the maximum coverage under STAX cannot exceed the deductible level selected by the producer in the underlying individual policy. For individual producers, indemnities for STAX and other policies cannot overlap. A graphical illustration of STAX is shown Figure 1. The bar on the left depicts the expected revenue (prior to planting) under a typical cotton crop insurance revenue policy with a 30% deductible (the farmer absorbs the first 30% of the loss). The expected revenue is the 10-year average yield for an individual producer times the expected market price (the average futures market price prior to planting). The insurance guarantee is set at 70% of the expected revenue (100% minus the 30% deductible). Upon harvest, if actual revenue falls short of the guarantee, an initial indemnity is triggered under the farmer s individual crop insurance policy as depicted by the green box in the right-hand column. If a STAX policy is also purchased and there is a loss at the county level, a STAX indemnity would be paid (depicted by the blue box). Overall, the farmer incurs a loss of approximately 10% (white box at top), with the STAX indemnity reducing the amount of shallow loss absorbed by the producer. Figure 1. Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) with a Crop Loss (STAX for upland cotton covers part of the deductible under the individual policy) Prior to Planting Expected Revenue for Individual Policy After Harvest Actual Market Revenue + Indemnities Expected price times 10-year average yield Deductible (e.g., 30%) Example: 70% coverage (individual policy) Shallow Loss Insurance guarantee Loss (10%) STAX Indemnity (20%) Individual Policy Indemnity actual price X actual yield Source: CRS. Notes: A STAX indemnity (blue box above) is triggered when actual county revenue is less than 90% of expected county revenue. Scenario assumes expected (and actual) revenue is the same at the individual farm and county level (STAX). STAX may be purchased as a stand-alone policy for primary coverage. Upland cotton acres enrolled in STAX are not eligible for SCO. (...continued) calculation of the insurance guarantee if it was higher than the expected market price. Inclusion of a minimum guarantee price would have provided enhanced the price protection for producers but would have introduced price supports into crop insurance and complicated the expected resolution of the cotton trade case. Congressional Research Service 5

10 Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) Like STAX but for other crops, the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) is authorized by the 2014 farm bill to cover part of the deductible under the producer s underlying policy (the shallow loss ). SCO is an area-wide (e.g., county) loss policy, whereby an indemnity is paid on area losses not more than the deductible level (e.g., 25%) selected by the producer for the underlying individual policy. However, unlike STAX, the SCO guarantee can be based on either expected county yields or revenue, and it must be purchased in conjunction with a traditional crop insurance policy. Indemnities are triggered by county losses greater than 14%, and policy coverage cannot exceed the difference between 86% and the coverage level selected by the producer for the underlying policy. A graphical illustration of SCO is shown in Figure The bar on the left depicts the expected revenue (prior to planting) under a typical crop insurance revenue policy with a 30% deductible (the farmer absorbs the first 30% of the loss). The expected revenue is the 10-year average yield for a producer times the expected market price (e.g., average futures market price for major crops). The guarantee is set at 70% of the expected revenue (100% minus the 30% deductible). If a loss occurs on the farm, an initial indemnity is triggered under the farmer s individual crop insurance policy as depicted by the green box in the right-hand column. If an SCO policy is also purchased and there is also a loss at the county level, a indemnity from the SCO also would be paid (depicted by the blue box). Overall, the farmer incurs a loss of approximately 14% (white box at top), with the SCO indemnity reducing the shallow loss absorbed by the producer. Figure 2. Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) with a Crop Loss (SCO covers part of the deductible under the individual policy) Prior to Planting Expected Revenue for Individual Policy After Harvest Actual Market Revenue + Indemnities Deductible (e.g., 30%) Shallow Loss Insurance guarantee Loss (14%) SCO Indemnity (16%) Individual policy Indemnity Expected price times 10-year average yield Example: 70% coverage (individual policy) actual price X actual yield Source: CRS. Notes: SCO indemnity (in blue box above) is triggered by a loss in county revenue (or yield if underlying individual policy is yield-based). Scenario assumes expected (and actual) revenue is the same at the individual farm and county level (SCO). 10 For numerical examples of SCO, see Nick Paulson, University of Illinois, Understanding the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) in the 2014 Farm Bill, March 12, 2014, _farm_bill_sco_paulson.pdf. Congressional Research Service 6

11 SCO is designed to serve as a shallow loss program for covered commodities enrolled by producers in Price Loss Coverage (PLC) under the farm commodity support program. A separate PLC payment would be made if the farm price for the crop is below a reference price set in statute. For crops enrolled in the alternative Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program, SCO is not available because ARC is already designed to pay for shallow losses. 11 SCO policies are to be offered for crops that have sufficient data for policy development, and coverage is to begin no later than the 2015 crop year. USDA has announced plans for developing 2015 policies for corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, winter wheat, spring wheat, and cotton. 12 The government subsidy as a share of the policy premium is 65%. Enterprise Units and Yield Guarantees Currently available policies are enhanced through a number of provisions beginning with the 2015 crop year. To provide better coverage for producers with both irrigated and nonirrigated crops, separate insurable enterprise units for each practice will be available (an enterprise unit is all land for a single crop in a county, regardless of the tenant/landlord structure). Separating the acreage can increase risk protection for producers because losses on dryland crops would no longer be offset by higher yields on irrigated acreage when the two are combined. Another concern of producers in recent years has been the treatment of poor yields used to establish the insurance guarantee, which is based on 4 to 10 years of historical yields called actual production history (APH). Current law allows a yield plug if the producer s actual or appraised yield for any particularly year is less than 60% of the transitional yield, generally based on the 10-year historical county average yield. The yield plug allows the replacement of a low actual yield in the APH with a yield equal to 60% of the applicable transitional yield. The 2014 farm bill enhances this provision by keeping the yield plug unchanged from current law (except in the case of native sod) but allowing producers to exclude without replacement any recorded or appraised yield from the APH calculation if the average crop yield in the county for any particular year is less than 50% of the 10-year county average. Peanuts and Rice The peanut and rice industries successfully argued for enhanced crop insurance options. The 2014 farm bill mandates a peanut revenue insurance product and rice margin insurance, with both to be made available for the 2015 crop year. For several years, rice producers have been interested in protecting against rising cost of inputs (e.g., fuel, fertilizer) as it affects their margin (income minus costs). For peanut producers, the revenue policy is to use the Rotterdam price index or other appropriate prices as determined by the Secretary. Setting the price guarantee is problematic for peanuts because the market is considered thin, with only two peanut shellers reportedly buying over 80% of all peanuts from growers. No futures market exists for peanuts, and private contracts between producers and shellers reportedly account for most transactions, making it 11 The two approaches differ in that ARC price guarantee is based on historical market prices while the crop insurance guarantees (including SCO) is based on expected market prices prior to planting. For more, see CRS Report R43448, Farm Commodity Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L ). 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture, FSA-RMA Farm Bill Listening Session, Washington, DC, March 27, Congressional Research Service 7

12 difficult to independently verify pricing needed to help set price parameters in the insurance policies. Alfalfa and Industrial Crops The 2014 farm bill also requires FCIC to enter into contracts to conduct research and development on modifications to insurance currently available for alfalfa through the forage production policy. Geographic coverage of the existing policy is limited, and supporters of the provision have said that loss coverage has been inadequate. FCIC is also to research policies for crops currently not insurable, including biomass sorghum and sweet sorghum grown expressly for the purpose of producing a feedstock for renewable biofuel, renewable electricity, or biobased products. Provisions for Specialty Crop Producers Federal crop insurance is available for over 80 specialty crops (including fruit, tree nut, vegetable, and nursery crops), making the program the primary financial safety net for specialty crop producers. While additional policies have been introduced over the last 10 years, producer groups and some Members of Congress during the farm bill debate wanted to improve the safety net for specialty crops, in part since these crops are not eligible for farm commodity support programs. Whole Farm Insurance USDA is required to conduct more research on whole farm revenue insurance with higher coverage levels than currently available under the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) and AGR-Lite policies which insure revenue of the entire farm rather than an individual crop. 13 In general, the AGR products are designed to protect producers with specialty crops and/or commodities not covered by individual policies. Historically, whole-farm insurance has seen limited participation, in part because the products are complex, the policies are available only in some parts of the country, and the maximum available coverage of 80% is considered too low for adequate risk protection. FCIC has been working on a revised whole farm insurance plan that reportedly reflects provisions on whole farm insurance specified in the 2014 farm bill. The farm bill provisions include increasing available coverage from 80% to 85%, and a maximum liability of $1.5 million, up from $1 million for AGR-Lite. Also, eligible producers are to include direct-to-consumer marketers and producers who produce multiple agricultural commodities, including specialty crops, industrial crops, livestock, and aquaculture products. FCIC also may provide diversification-based additional coverage payment rates, premium discounts, or other enhanced benefits in recognition of the risk management benefits of crop and livestock diversification strategies for producers. FCIC can also expand coverage for the value of any packing, packaging, 13 AGR-Lite has maximum liability of $1 million compared with $6.5 million for AGR. AGR-Lite does not limit the share of livestock revenue in the guarantee (limited to 35% in AGR). Both products use a producer s five-year historical farm average revenue as reported on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax return form (Schedule F or equivalent forms). Coverage levels range from 65% to 80% of historical revenue. Congressional Research Service 8

13 or any other similar on-farm activity that FCIC determines to be the minimum required in order to remove the commodity from the field. Organic Prices for Insuring Crops Current law requires FCIC to broaden coverage for organic crops. To reflect the higher product value and provide additional protection for producers, organic price elections have been made available for 16 crops as of early The 2014 farm bill extends the current practice by requiring FCIC to offer price elections by 2015 that reflect actual retail or wholesale prices of organic (not conventional) crops for all organic crops produced in compliance with standards issued by USDA under the Organic Foods Production Act of NAP Enhancement When crop insurance is not available, catastrophic coverage under the existing noninsured crop disaster assistance program (NAP) can be purchased from USDA s Farm Service Agency. NAP applicants pay an administrative fee (currently $250 per crop), and no premium is charged (like CAT crop insurance). In order to receive a NAP payment, a producer must experience at least a 50% crop loss caused by a natural disaster, or be prevented from planting more than 35% of intended crop acreage. For production losses in excess of the minimum, a producer receives 55% of the average market price for the commodity. In order to expand coverage for specialty crops and others covered under NAP, the 2014 farm bill provides additional coverage at 50% to 65% of established yield and 100% of average market price. The farmer-paid premium for additional coverage is 5.25% times the product of the selected coverage level and value of production (acreage times yield times average market price). Also, the per-person payment limit is increased from $100,000 to $125,000. Separately, to assist producers with fruit crop losses in 2012, payments associated with additional coverage are made retroactively (minus premium fees) in counties declared a disaster due to freeze or frost. Index-based Weather Insurance FCIC is authorized to conduct two or more pilot programs (and approve subsequent policies) for index-based weather insurance. Index weather insurance protects against specific weather events and not actual losses. Priority is given to specialty crops (e.g., fruits and vegetables) and livestock commodities (including pasture, rangeland, and forage) that have had no available coverage or have low participation rates under existing coverage. The subsidy shall not exceed 60% of the estimated premium amount. Administrative and operating expenses are to be reimbursed as with other policies, but federal reinsurance, research and development costs, and other reimbursements or maintenance fees are not provided for these policies. Expenditures from the FCIC fund are limited to $12.5 million per year for FY Policies may be sold by the approved insurance provider that submits the application as well as others who agree to pay maintenance fees to the submitting provider. Policies cannot be substantially similar to privately available hail insurance. Congressional Research Service 9

14 Food Safety Insurance Study The 2014 farm bill requires FCIC to contract for a study on coverage for specialty crops that would indemnify producers for production or revenue losses related to food safety concerns such as government, retail, or national consumer group announcements of a health advisory, product removal, or recall related to a contamination concern. FCIC must submit a report to Congress within one year of enactment of the farm bill. Studies for Animal Agriculture Insurance Compared with the crop sector, the federal crop insurance program provides only limited coverage for the livestock industry. Relatively new or pilot programs protect livestock and dairy producers from loss of gross margin or price declines. Livestock producers can also insure against hay and forage losses through the Forage Production policy (see Alfalfa and Industrial Crops above) and the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage program, which uses a rainfall index or vegetative index to determine loss. The 2014 farm bill directs FCIC to study a variety of topics that could lead to additional insurance policies for animal agriculture. FCIC is required to enter into contracts to conduct research and development on policies for the margin between the market value of catfish and input costs and poultry business interruption insurance for poultry growers, including losses due to bankruptcy of an integrator (owner-processor). FCIC is also required to contract for studies on insuring swine producers for a catastrophic event and insuring poultry producers for a catastrophic event. Conservation Provisions As directed in the conservation title (II) of the 2014 farm bill, crop insurance premium subsidies are available only if producers are in compliance with wetland conservation requirements and conservation requirements for highly erodible land. USDA expects most producers will be unaffected because the same requirement has been in place for years to maintain eligibility for farm program and other USDA benefits. Also, to limit the incentive to convert native sod to cropland, a separate provision in the crop insurance title affects producers purchasing policies for crop insurance or noninsured crop disaster assistance program (NAP). For the first four years of planting on native sod acreage in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, farmers will pay more for the risk coverage through reduced crop insurance subsidies or higher NAP fees, and the yield guarantee is reduced compared to other cropland. For details, see Table A-1. Provisions for Beginning Farmers To help develop the next generation of producers, the 2014 farm bill makes several changes to benefit beginning farmers or ranchers with less than five years of experience. For example, to reduce the cost of purchasing crop insurance for beginning farmers or ranchers, the $300 fee for purchasing catastrophic (CAT) coverage is waived. Also, the premium subsidy schedule for additional coverage is increased by 10 percentage points. Congressional Research Service 10

15 To boost the yield guarantee for beginning farmers, the calculation can now use yields recorded by prior producers on the acreage, which might be higher than the alternative when historical data are not available (i.e., 65% of the transitional yield based on county average yields). When historical data are available to establish the producer s actual production history, beginning farmers can replace low yields with a yield equal to 80% of the transitional yield. Similar benefits are provided under the noninsured crop disaster assistance program (NAP), which provides catastrophic coverage for uninsurable crops. The provision extends the fee waiver for basic NAP coverage to beginning farmers and socially disadvantaged farmers. Premium for additional NAP coverage is reduced by 50% for limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers. 14 Budget Neutral for the Next Standard Reinsurance Agreement As authorized by the 2008 farm bill, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) negotiated with private companies to revise the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) to save federal money and improve program delivery in underserved areas. The SRA, in place since 2011, governs the terms under which the government pays participating insurance companies to sell and service policies and shares underwriting gains or losses with them. The changes made in 2011 put a cap on administrative and operating (A&O) costs and limited agent commissions, measures opposed by the crop insurance companies. Some but not all of the estimated $6 billion in budget savings over 10 years was reinvested back into crop insurance, including expansion of the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage crop insurance program. FCIC may renegotiate the SRA once every five years. To ensure that insurance companies are not adversely affected by changes in the next SRA, the 2014 farm bill requires that any revised SRA is budget neutral with respect to estimates of future underwriting gains for the private companies, and the estimated total A&O reimbursements cannot be less than the amounts that would have been provided under the previous SRA. The Manager s Report states their intent is that a renegotiated SRA should not be used as a means of achieving further cuts in the federal crop insurance program. During the farm bill debate, some Members of Congress argued that such cuts, if any, should be made by Congress so it could claim the budget savings towards either deficit reduction or to offset the cost of any new legislative initiative. Premium Subsidies Unlike farm commodity programs, the federal crop insurance program does not have an income limit test for program eligibility or premium subsidy limits. The topic was widely discussed in Congress during the farm bill debate, particularly in 2012 and A controversial item not included in P.L was the reduction of premium subsidies for high income farmers, a provision that was included in the Senate bill but not the House bill. In the 14 USDA defines a limited resource farmer or rancher as one who has farm sales not more than $172,800 and household income at or below the national poverty level for a family of four. Socially disadvantaged means a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. (7 U.S.C. 2279(e)). Congressional Research Service 11

16 2012 farm bill passed by the Senate in the 112 th Congress, an amendment was adopted during floor debate to reduce crop insurance premium subsidies by 15 percentage points for producers with average adjusted gross income greater than $750,000. In 2013, the Senate Agriculture Committee-reported version of S. 954 did not include the provision, but an amendment to S. 954 requiring the subsidy reduction was adopted on the Senate floor in June 2013 by a vote of A House amendment to limit crop insurance premium subsidies failed during floor debate in June Estimated Cost of the Crop Insurance Title Prior to enactment of the 2014 farm bill, projected baseline expenditures for the federal crop insurance program were estimated at $84.1 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The enacted 2014 farm bill (P.L ) increased expected outlays for crop insurance relative to this 10-year baseline level by an additional $5.7 billion (Table 1). The largest cost items are the Stacked Income Protection (STAX) for cotton, estimated at $3.3 billion over 10 years, and the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), estimated at $1.7 billion over 10 years. Several general enhancements involve expanded coverage for irrigated crops and revising yield history for setting yield guarantees. The combined cost of these upgrades is more than $1 billion over 10 years. The largest cost savings item for Title XI relates to the interaction between crop insurance and farm programs authorized in Title I. The Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) program is designed to cover some losses that crop insurance might otherwise cover. Therefore, producers who enroll their crop in ARC might purchase reduced coverage levels for crop insurance, which would reduce federal expenditures on total premium subsidies and administrative and operating costs. 15 In the House farm bill debate, prior to the floor vote on the farm bill on June 20, 2013 (which was rejected by a vote of ), the House rejected H.Amdt. 216 by a vote of It would have limited premium subsidies to those producers with an adjusted gross income under $250,000, limited per-person premium subsidies to $50,000, and capped crop insurance providers reimbursement of administrative and operating expenses at $900 million and reduced their rate of return to 12%. Congressional Research Service 12

18 Appendix. Crop Insurance Provisions in the Enacted 2014 Farm Bill Table A-1. Crop Insurance Provisions in the Enacted 2014 Farm Bill Compared with Previous Law Previous Law/Policy 2014 Farm Bill (P.L ) Information Sharing and Publication of Violations USDA, an approved insurance provider and its employees and contractors, and any other person may not disclose to the public information furnished by a producer unless it has been aggregated to avoid disclosure of an individual s information. [7 U.S.C. 1502(c)] Adjustments to producer premiums are prohibited as an inducement to purchase crop insurance, with few exceptions. [7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(9)] Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) No comparable provision. Adds provision that, if authorized by a producer, USDA s Farm Service Agency is to provide to an insurance agent or approved insurance provider any information or maps that may assist the agent or provider insuring the producer. [Sec ] To deter potential violators, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) is required to publish in detail (but without disclosing identities) any violations of the existing prohibition on adjustments to premiums, including sanctions imposed. [Sec ] Makes available to crop producers a policy called Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) to cover part of the deductible under the producer s underlying policy. SCO is an area-wide (e.g., county) yield or revenue loss policy, whereby an indemnity is paid on area losses not more than the deductible level (e.g., 25%) selected by the producer for the underlying individual policy. Coverage is triggered by losses greater than 14%, and policy coverage cannot exceed the difference between 86% and the coverage level selected by the producer for the underlying policy. Acres covered by Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or STAX (see below) are not eligible for SCO. SCO policies are to be made available for all crops if sufficient data are available. Premium subsidized at 65%. Coverage to begin no later than the 2015 crop year. [Sec ] A crop margin coverage option is available as a single policy or in combination with a yield or revenue loss policy. [Sec ] CRS-14

19 Catastrophic Yield Policies (CAT) Previous Law/Policy 2014 Farm Bill (P.L ) Catastrophic yield policies (CAT) are available for yield losses greater than 50%. Premium is fully subsidized, and producer pays an administrative fee of $300 per crop per county. Participating crop insurance companies are reimbursed for selling and servicing the policies based on the premium amount. [7 U.S.C. 1508(d)(2)] Enterprise and Whole Farm Units Crops are insured based on geographic units defined in the insurance policy. The basic unit covers land in one county with the same tenant/landlord. An optional unit is a basic unit divided into smaller units by township section. An enterprise unit covers all land of a single crop in a county for a producer, regardless of tenant/landlord structure. A whole farm unit covers more than one crop. For a policy with an enterprise or whole farm unit paragraph, on a pilot basis, the percentage of the premium paid by the government shall provide the same dollar amount of premium subsidy per acre as for other units, up to 80%. [7 U.S.C. 1508(e)(5)] Data Collection for Yield Guarantees; Yield Adjustments FCIC bases policy guarantees on a producer s actual production history (APH) for the crop, or on county yields for area-wide policies. The APH is based on producer yields for the prior 4 to 10 years. [7 U.S.C. 1508(g)(2)] If, for one or more of the crop years used to establish the producer s actual production history (APH) of an agricultural commodity, the producer's recorded or appraised yield of the commodity was less than 60% of the applicable transitional yield (based on 10-year historical county average yield), FCIC can at the election of the producer exclude the recorded or appraised yield and replace it with a yield equal to 60% of the applicable transitional yield. Concept is known as yield substitution with a yield plug. [7 U.S.C. 1508(g)(4)(B)] CAT remains fully subsidized, and reimbursements to private insurance companies remain tied to the calculated premium. To reduce government costs of reimbursement, the calculated premium is reduced by the percentage equal to the difference between the average loss ratio (premiums divided by indemnities times 100) for the crop and 100%, plus a reasonable reserve as determined by FCIC. [Sec ] In Title XII Miscellaneous: Prohibits CAT coverage on crops and grasses used for grazing. [Sec (b)] The subsidy for enterprise and whole farm units is made permanent (previously a pilot basis). [Sec ] Beginning with the 2015 crop year, separate enterprise units will be available for irrigated and nonirrigated acreages of crops. [Sec ] Specifically directs FCIC to use county data collected by USDA s Risk Management Agency and/or National Agricultural Statistics Service. If such data are not available, it may use other data considered appropriate by the Secretary of Agriculture. [Sec ] Yield plug remains unchanged from current law but producers may elect to exclude any recorded or appraised yield from the APH calculation if the crop yield in the county is less than 50% of the 10-year county average. Separate determinations are made for irrigated and nonirrigated acreage. Producers in contiguous (adjacent) counties can do the same. [Sec ] CRS-15

20 Previous Law/Policy 2014 Farm Bill (P.L ) Policy Research Development, Review, Approval, and Cost Reimbursement An approved insurance provider, a college or university, a cooperative or trade association, or others may prepare for submission or propose to FCIC crop insurance policies and provisions of policies. [7 U.S.C. 1508(h)(1)] Under sections 522 and 523 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act, FCIC may enter into contracts to carry out research and development for new crop insurance policies (but may not conduct research itself). FCIC shall establish as one of the highest research priorities the development of a pasture, range, and forage program. It shall provide a payment to an applicant for research and development costs. [7 U.S.C. 1522] The Board may approve up to 50% of the projected total research and development costs to be paid in advance to an applicant if it determines that: (i) the concept will likely result in a viable and marketable policy consistent with section 1508(h) of this title; (ii) in the sole opinion of the Board, the concept would provide crop insurance coverage-(i) in a significantly improved form; (II) to a crop or region not traditionally served by the federal crop insurance program; or (III) in a form that addresses a recognized flaw or problem in the program; (iii) the applicant agrees to provide such reports as FCIC determines are necessary to monitor the development effort; (iv) the proposed budget and timetable are reasonable; and (v) the concept proposal meets any other requirements that the Board determines appropriate. [7 U.S.C. 1522(b)(2)] Adds requirement that FCIC must review and submit to the FCIC Board any policy developed under section 522(c) or pilot program developed under section 523 if FCIC determines that it will likely result in (i) a viable and marketable policy, (ii) would provide crop insurance coverage in a significantly improved form, and (iii) adequately protects the interests of producers. Also, the Board shall review and approve for sale a new policy if the Board determines: (i) the interests of producers are adequately protected, (ii) the proposed policy will: (I) provide a new kind of coverage that is likely to be viable and marketable; (II) provide crop insurance coverage in a manner that addresses a clear and identifiable flaw or problem in an existing policy; or (III) provide a new kind of coverage for a commodity that previously had no available crop insurance, or has demonstrated a low level of participation or coverage level under existing coverage; and (iii) the proposed policy will not have a significant adverse impact on the crop insurance delivery system. The Board is to give first priority to new policies that address underserved commodities (limited or no available coverage), and then to existing policies for which there is inadequate coverage or there exists low levels of participation. Requires by the 2015 crop year a revenue policy for peanut producers and a margin coverage policy for rice producers. [Sec (a)] Same as current law and authorizes Board to waive the 50% limitation and approve an additional 25% advance payment if the intended policy will provide coverage for a region or crop that is underserved by the federal crop insurance program, including specialty crops, and the submitter is making satisfactory progress towards developing a viable and marketable policy. [Sec (b)] CRS-16

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